ASTM sets playground surface std.

WASHINGTON — The American Society for Testing and Materials has issued a standard covering loose-fill rubber for use in playground surfaces.

The new standard — ASTM Standard F3012, the Standard Specification for Loose-Fill Rubber for Use as a Playground Safety Surface under and around Playground Equipment — was developed by a task force within ASTM Committee F08.63 on Playground Surfacing Systems, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).

ISRI said its members played a significant role in developing the standard.

“The work of ISRI members and the task force in creating this standard specification will lead to safer, more uniform loose-fill rubber playground-surfacing products,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener.

In drafting the standard, the task force considered input from many stakeholders, including rubber recyclers, playground equipment manufacturers, playground operators, government officials and parents, ISRI said.

“This collaborative process has allowed for a standard that brings together the experience, expertise and interests of the stakeholders involved,” the institute said.

A summary of F3012 is available at www.astm.org. Full copies of the standard may be purchased there at $42 apiece.